Wing spar for aeroplanes



July 28, 1931. R. w. HILTON WING SPAR FOR AEROPLANES Filed Jan. 2. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Raga/7 Mh' qivim ATTORNEY July 28, 1931. R H 1,816,678

WING SPAR FOR AEROPLANES .Filed Jan. 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEV INVENTOR eral views, and in Which z- Patented July 28, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPH W. HILTON, OF WIGI-IITA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO TIARVEY W. BROWN, OF WICI-IITA, KANSAS WING SPAR- l OR AEROZPLANES Application filed January 2, 1930. Serial No. 418,081.

This invention relates to improvements in Figure 1 is a schematic top plan view of spars for aeroplane wings of the Cantilever a cantilever wing constructed in accordance type and one of the objects of the present with the invention. invention is to provide a cantilever wing Figure 2 is a view infront elevation of the 5Which will be substantial in construction and wing structure illustrating the manner in 55 will require no struts orbracings on the which the bend is formed'therein, this View exterior of the wing and which struts or also illustrating, schematically, the cross braces reduce the speed of travel of the aerosectional contour of the wing at different plane due to the resistance ofiered to the points in its length.

wind, and such wings, as are ordinarily con- Figure 3 is a vertical front to rear sectional e0 structed, being required to be made com- View through the wing of this embodimentof paratively small in area, whereas the wing the invention, taken substantially on the of the present invention may be made of line 33 of Figure 2 looking in the direction greater area, and as stated, without the neindicated by the arrows.

cessity of employing struts or braces. Figure 4 is a sectionalview illustrating the Another object of the invention is to promanner in which the bend. in the intermevide an aeroplane wing of the cantilever type diate portion of p the strut structure is arwithin which there is arranged a novel strut ranged within the cabin of the aeroplane. 7 construction which extends from tip to tip Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 illus- 20 of the wing and which structure has its comm ting, in p p g. Constructed o ponent elements connected throughout its WOOdentire extent, so as to obviat the m loy Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure2 illusment of any braces or the lik whi h ould trating the structure shown in Figure 5, scheretard the speed of travel of the aeroplane. 'ma cal 'y- 1 25 Another bject of the invention is to pro- Flglllf 7 is a Vertical fIOllt t0 I'GHQYSGCtlOIIal vide a strut constituting an integral whole, View on the line'7-7 of Figure 6 looking in the strut being provided in its intermediate the dlrection indicated bythe arrows.

portion with a bend adapting this portion In the embodiment of the invention illusto extend through the cabin of the aeroplane trated in'Figures' 1 to l inclusive, the wings wand thus obviate the necessity of providing of the aeroplane are indicated by the numeral attaching means upon the sides of the aero- 1 and the cabin by the numeral 2, and the plane body for the attachment of separate wings are made of any material. usually emstruts, where the integral structure of the ployed for the purpose, and the spar, in this present invention is lacking. I embodiment, being formed from lengths,

35 Another object of the invention is to propreferably of tubular piping. The strut comvide a strut of the class described which may prises two wing sections which are indicated be manufactured of metal or of wooden or in general by the numeral 3 and Which are other non-metallic parts, as may be desired. constructed and housed within the hollow This invention also consists in certain wings, 1, and each of the struts comprise up- 40 other features of construction and in the per and lower bars 4 and 5 respectively. As

combination and arrangement of the several showniin Figure 3, there are two of the upparts, to be hereinafter fully described, illusper bars 4 and a single one of the lower bars trated in the accompanying drawings, and 5, and vertical bracing bars 6 extendbetween specifically pointed out in the appended the bflISil: and the bars 5, and are welded at 45 claim. 7 their ends to these bars, and'two alternate In describing my invention in detail, refones of the'bars 6, indicated specifically by erence will be had to the accompanying the numeral 7, being preferably arranged in drawings wherein like character-s denote like a diagonal position as clearly shown in Figor corresponding parts throughout the sev. nres'fzand 4 oi the drawings,

These bars are likewise welded attheir ends at the points of connection of the re spectivebars 6 with the bars 4 and 5. The

' bars 6 and 7 are of gradually decreasing length formed from the inner portions of the wing spar to the ends thereof and, as shown in Figure l, the portions of the spar extend laterally from the intermediate portion and are completely housed within the respective wings 1. At the intermediate portion of the spar, the bars referred to above are bent so as to pro vide a downwardly bent intermediate portion indicated by the numeral 8 and the downwardly and inwardly extending parts of the structure which constitute this portion are located in the cabin 2' of the aeroplane, as shown in Figure 4, and preferably, at such points as may be desired, in the length of the structure, and top cross bars 9 may be arranged to extend between the upper cross bars as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

Instead of a tube, the component parts of the structure above described may be made of sheet metal bent into hollow box form, or U-shaped or V-shaped and at all points where the component parts, of the structure, embod-ying the invention intersect the longrons of the body or fuselage structure, the said parts are welded to the said longrons so that the structure is mounted in a very secure manner.

Figures 5,6 and 7 of the drawings illustrate that the spar structure may be of wood and as most clearly shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, the spars, which are indicated by the numeral 10, may be of substantially V- -form in cross section as shown in this figure and are made up of a plurality of plies 11 of wood which are assembled with the grains running in different directions in relatively adjacent plies, the plies being of course united at their contacting surfaces'by any suitable adhesive medium so that the structure is practically an integral. one and possesses great strength and is capable of resisting considerable strains, and yet-sufliciently light in weight to renderit highly suitable for usein accordance with the principles of the invention. It will be'observed by reference to Figure 4 of the drawings, that in both embodiments ofthe invention the wing spar thrustline ofthe aeroplane, or in other words the straight line between the center of the propeller hub and the tail, of the aeroplane, so that the wing is: of the mid-wing type and constitutes a cantilever wing.

What I claim is posite sides thereof, of a spar structure wholly erected, at its oppositely extending side portions in the wing, and, at its intermediate portion, in the fuselage, the said spar structure comprising substantially horizontal upper bars arranged in the upper portions of the Wings and converging toward each other toward the tip ends of the wing, the said upper bars having their intermediate portions inclined downwardly, within the fuselage, from points at opposite sides of the fuselage, a lower bar arranged below the first mentioned bars and including portions inclined upwardly toward the meeting ends of the converging upper bar portions, the said lower bar including intermediate portions inclined downwardly, within the fuselage, from points at opposite sides of the fuselage, and parallel to the inclined intermediate portions of the upper bars. a nluralitv of braces,

extending vertically between the intermediate portions of the upper and lower bars and also between the converging .portions of the upper bars, and the upwardly inclined portions of the lower bars,..

other braces extending diagonally between the points of connection of each two relatively adjacent ones of the first mentioned braces, and braces extending between the said upper bars.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

RALPH W. HILTON.

In an aeroplane, the combination with the 

